Across Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia regulators have picked five companies to open the state’s first medical cannabis dispensaries. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that after more than five hours of private discussion Tuesday, the Virginia Board of Pharmacy gave initial approval to five of the 51 applicants. Each of the state’s five health service areas will feature a dispensary. The conditional awardees include Maryland-based Green Leaf Medical, Illinois-based PharmaCann and Florida-based Columbia Care. The other two licenses were awarded to newer ventures from Virginia entrepreneurs partnering with out-of-state partners: Dharma Pharmaceuticals and Dalitso LLC. The companies will open state’s first authorized marijuana-growing facilities within a year, but dispensaries are only allowed to sell non-psychoactive oil to approved patients. These companies will also have to undergo background checks before the licenses are finalized.
Photo: themovingwall.org
“The Moving Wall” is making a five-day visit to the region starting tomorrow. It is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, and organizers say it continues to deliver an important message decades after the war ended. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.
You can visit The Moving Wall Thursday through noon Monday at Franklin County Recreation Park on Sontag Road south of Rocky Mount. Click here for full information.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A state agency has rejected an application from a rural Virginia school district that voted to arm teachers and other employees as protection against a school shooting. The Washington Post reports that the Department of Criminal Justice Services turned down Lee County Superintendent Brian Austin’s application to register as an armed special conservator of the peace. The school district had hoped the designation would allow school employees to carry guns in schools. The department cited an advisory opinion from state Attorney General Mark Herring in deeming the plan unlawful. Austin said the district’s working with its legal counsel to review its options. The school board voted in July to arm an unspecified number of teachers and staff members to carry concealed weapons or store guns in safes on school property.
Autumn began over the weekend, and that means the fall color season is just around the corner, and many thousands of drivers will travel the Blue Ridge Parkway. WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The National Weather Serve has confirmed that a total of 10 tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Florence touched down in Virginia on Monday. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the weather service’s office in Wakefield, Virginia, increased the total from eight to 10 after assessment teams determined that two additional tornadoes struck Richmond. Nine of the tornadoes were spread across Richmond and its surrounding area. Another tornado hit Mecklenburg County, near the North Carolina border, the same day. The strongest tornado leveled a flooring company in Chesterfield, killing a man who worked there. That storm was categorized as an EF2 tornado, packing winds of 120 miles (193 kilometers) per hour.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says his state is well positioned to lead the development of the nation’s offshore wind industry. The Democrat spoke Friday in Norfolk at a conference sponsored by industry members and Virginia’s Sierra Club chapter. Dominion Energy and the Danish firm Orsted already plan to install two turbines 27 miles (43 kilometers) off the coast for a pilot project. But Northam said Virginia has the capacity for offshore turbines to generate power for 500,000 homes. Northam cited Virginia’s location and deep expertise in shipbuilding and other trades as reasons why it could also support manufacturing. He added that 14,000 jobs could ultimately support the industry in Virginia. Northam said Virginia “has a clear opportunity to act as a change agent in driving the development of U.S. offshore wind.”
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – The Virginia State Police says it spent more than $3 million to provide security for the one-year anniversary of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. The Daily Progress cites police spokeswoman Corinne Geller, who said Thursday that the $3.1 million included police operations on Aug. 11 and 12, as well as the preparations leading up to the anniversary weekend. A Charlottesville city spokesman says the amount the city spent isn’t yet available. Geller says around 700 troopers were in the area. According to state law, the governor can authorize financial assistance for those under a state of emergency when federal assistance doesn’t apply. Virginia’s emergency declaration expired Sept. 12. State police have requested reimbursement from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, which will review the cost submissions.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The National Weather Service has confirmed that the remnants of Hurricane Florence spawned a total of six tornadoes in Virginia earlier this week. Five of the tornadoes on Monday were spread across the Richmond metro area. A sixth tornado hit Mecklenburg County, near the North Carolina border, the same day. Media outlets report that teams from the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia, surveyed damage from the storms Tuesday and confirmed the number at 6. The strongest tornado levelled a flooring company in Chesterfield, killing a man who worked there. That storm was categorized as an EF2 hurricane, packing winds of 120 miles per hour.
Virginia ranks near the bottom of a study of states with the biggest bully problems. It’s the result of anti-bullying legislation that’s not been implemented in a lot of other states, as WFIR’s Ian Price reports:
MANASSAS, Va. (AP) – A man is accused of rubbing his bare behind on produce at a grocery store in northern Virginia before putting the items back on display. News outlets report 27-year-old Michael Dwayne Johnson, of Manassas, is charged with indecent exposure and destruction of property. A Manassas police release says an employee on Saturday noticed Johnson grabbing produce, pulling down his pants and rubbing the produce on his behind before putting it back. It says the store had to destroy several pallets of produce because of Johnson’s actions. A police spokeswoman says the report lists fruit as the ruined produce. Authorities have not released a motive. It’s unclear if Johnson has a lawyer.